Take a Video Tour Through the Real Downton Abbey

“This isn’t just a film set — it’s also our home” says Fiona Carnarvon, the countess of Highclere Castle, also known as Downton Abbey.

As Willie Lee Adams writes in his story in this week’s issue of TIME, Downton Abbey “has transformed Highclere into Britain’s most talked about stately home.” Which is a good thing, because it costs an exorbitant amount of money to keep up the several-hundred bedroom house. According to Adams, “Geordie, Carnarvon’s husband and the eighth earl, estimates that he will need to sink $18 million into renovations in the coming years.”

“This isn’t just a film set — it’s also our home” says Fiona Carnarvon, the countess of Highclere Castle, also known as Downton Abbey.

As Willie Lee Adams writes in his story in this week’s issue of TIME, Downton Abbey “has transformed Highclere into Britain’s most talked about stately home.” Which is a good thing, because it costs an exorbitant amount of money to keep up the several-hundred bedroom house. According to Adams, “Geordie, Carnarvon’s husband and the eighth earl, estimates that he will need to sink $18 million into renovations in the coming years.”